Category: News

Changes to SFFaudio (we think they’re good)

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

SFFaudio MetaStarting very shortly, SFFaudio will be bringing you more content.

Instead of having our existing staff cloned, or making the day 25 hours long (our first idea was to blog from Mars), we’re going to be adding new posts from bloggers (and podcasters) from other existing websites. The idea is to turn you on to some of the keen folks that are out there writing about (and recording) the stuff we think sounds really cool.

Sites that post stuff we’d like to see added to the SFFaudio feed include those like:

Forgotten Classics http://hcforgottenclassics.blogspot.com/

Quasar Dragon http://freesciencefantasy.blogspot.com/

Free Listens http://www.freelistens.blogspot.com/

In addition to all those folks, we’re also planning a quasi-revival of our abortive sister site AuralNoir.com (2005-2006). Aural Noir, prior to her passing, posted stories just like those you see on SFFaudio, but instead of being about Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror audio, they were all targeted at the Mystery, Crime, Noir and Thriller audio that was out there. There’s a lot more of it available these days, and we’ve got a lot of stuff we’ve been just aching to tell you about. So, the plan is for us to have new posts, with their own labels, sporting the traditional “News”, “Reviews” and “Online Audio” topics but in the flavour of Mystery, Crime, Noir and Thriller podcasts, podiobooks, audiobooks and audio drama.

A little skeptical? Ya, we are too. But we’re hoping it will be very cool. Please let us know how you like it as it comes.

Posted by Jesse Willis

FREE Kristine Kathryn Rusch audiobook on Audible.com: The Disappeared

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

Audible FrontiersIf you don’t already have an Audible.com account, here’s a great reason to sign up! Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s The Disappeared, the first novel in her “Retrieval Artist” series, will be temporarily 100% FREE starting Thursday July 10th 2008. All you need to get it is an active Audible account! Sez Audible:

SPECIAL OFFER: We think you’ll love Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist series. And to prove it, we’re giving away The Disappeared free! Please hurry. This book will return to full price on July 24, 2008.

The Disappeared - (The Retrieval Artist - book 1) by Kristine Kathryn RuschThe Disappeared – (Retrieval Artist – book 1)
By Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Read by Jay Snyder
Audible Download – 9 hours 50 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible Frontiers
Published: June 13th 2008 [FREE July 10th to July 24, 2008]
Retrieval artists help the lost find their way back home, whether they like it or not. Specialized private detectives, they investigate the most unusual crimes in the galaxy. But Miles Flint isn’t a Retrieval artist. He’s just a cop, trying to do his job. In a stolen space yacht, three people have been found eviscerated – the grisly signature of an alien vengeance killing. Moments later, the border patrol halts another ship launched out of the Moon’s orbit. Its passengers are two human children, kidnapped by the most ruthless aliens in the universe. Both ships are linked to a woman on the run: a Disappeared relocated to the inhospitable landscape of Mars. A reluctant outlaw with a bounty on her head and a detective on her case, she’s about to teach all of them a lesson: it’s dangerous to gamble with your life in a universe that rigs the game.

While you’re in the Audible catalogue you should also consider getting the Hugo Award nominated novella that gave this series its name…

The Retrieval Artist, was put out by Deuce Audio (owned by my buddy Scott) and is narrated by the incomparable Stefan Rudnicki. This tale is the true origin of the Retrieval Artist brand. It’s a two hour treat for only $3.49! GET THAT HERE

The Retrieval Artist
By Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Read by Stefan Rudnicki
Audible Download – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Deuce Audio / Audible.com
Published: 2007
Retrieval Artists find people who have disappeared. But people disappear for a reason: they don’t want to be found. When Anetka Sobol shows up at Miles Flint’s office on the Moon, he immediately knows that this case is going to be complicated.

And, last but not least, I’ve begun a KRISTINE KATHRYN RUSCH author page, which attempts to round up all the KKR audio that’s out there.

Posted by Jesse Willis

FREE Audiobook on iTunes The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

iTunes Music Store - FREE AUDIOBOOK The Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoAn English translation of Paulo Coelho’s short Portuguese novel The Alchemist is available for FREE in the iTunes Music Store’s audiobook section. From the Wikipedia description it sounds like a “magic realism” book to me…

The Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoThe Alchemist
By Paulo Coelho; Read by Jermey Irons
iTunes Download – Approx. 4.25 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Provider: iTunes
FREE: July 8th 2008 -> ???
An Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago travels from his homeland to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a meditation on the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is art eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

Yikes, that last bit makes it sound all new-agey! So, who’s gonna download this sucker and write up a review? Is it really “magic realism”?

Posted by Jesse Willis

WFMU is looking for RADIO DRAMA

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

WFMU RadioThe listener supported New Jersey radio station, WFMU, is looking for a few good radio dramas…

WFMU is looking for Radio Plays for a possible weekly program of radio theater to start this October. Lo-fi, do-it-yourself stuff is OK. It should be suitable for broadcast, which means that it should be FCC-friendly, and you should be able to clear the rights yourself, or it should be in public domain. It should also be somewhat short, from 1-55 minutes.

Listeners Karinne Keithley, Danny Manley and Jason Grote are attempting to put together a radio play program for WFMU, and are looking for *recorded* radio plays and monologues, weird interviews, rants, found audio, etc. The more idiosyncratic the better.

They’ll consider everything, but they’re not after 1920s nostalgia acts so much as sound-driven art that redefines and expands the idea
of what radio theater can be. If you’re unsure whether or not what you’ve got is a legitimate radio play, it probably is what we’re
looking for. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR RECORDED AUDIO MATERIAL ONLY.

Lo-fi, do-it-yourself stuff is OK. It should be suitable for broadcast, which means that (1) it should not contain any obscenities as defined by the FCC, (2) you should be able to clear the rights yourself, or it should be in public domain, and (3) it should be somewhat short, from 1-55 minutes. Under 20 minutes is ideal. Most but not all silence is generally to be avoided.

We are not looking for unsolicited scripts at this time but we’ll let you know if that changes.

Submissions:

Mp3/Zip/other files should be posted to Divshare, Sendspace, or whichever such site you prefer, and links emailed to:

jason [at ] jasongrote.com

CDs or other recorded materials should be sent to:

Jason Grote – WFMU radio theater project
c/o New Dramatists
424 West 44th Street
NYC, NY 10036

Deadline: if you’ve got something, please send it immediately, but if you’re looking to prepare something: July 8, 2008.

Somebody send them some SFF content! I’m pointing at you Bill Hollweg.

[via Steve of the Modern Audio Drama Yahoo! Group]

Posted by Jesse Willis

io9 talks to Audible’s Steve Feldberg

Jesse Willis

SFFaudio News

io9 a science fiction blogAudible Frontiersio9, a science fiction blog, has posted up a short interview with Steve Feldberg, the director of content for Audible.com. In it Feldberg talks about the various titles already released by its imprint “Audible Frontiers” and other exclusives arranged for Audible-only distribution, as well as hinting at some of the forthcoming titles set to be released over the coming months. Have a peek HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis